Share this on:

Daughter of Libyan civilian journalist born months after his death

Mayar Nabbous is born in Benghazi, in rebel-held Libya, her mother says

She is the only child of Mohammed Nabbous, who emerged as a rebel spokesman

The engineer documented what was happening in Benghazi

He was killed in March by an apparent sniper's bullet

Tripoli, Libya (CNN) -- Mayar Nabbous has entered the world, more than two months after her father -- an engineer-turned-advocate journalist -- left it, after being killed by a sniper in the rebel-held city of Benghazi.

The baby's mother, Perditta Nabbous, told CNN on Saturday her daughter was born three days earlier in the eastern Libyan city. She spoke after the news went viral online, saying she and the baby were both in good health.

Mayar's father, Mohammed Nabbous, came to the world's attention in February when unrest started in the North African nation.

The 27-year-old engineer turned founder of the online Libya Al-Hurra TV dedicated himself to showcasing what was going on in Benghazi, where opposition forces were under heavy attack from those allied with Libyan leader Moammar Gadhafi.

He helped set up a protest command center in the city's courthouse in the first days of fighting. At the time, there were no western journalists in the region and the government made extensive efforts to block any outside communication, including via the Web.

Nabbous placed cameras around the embattled city to document what was happening, then worked around the regime's firewalls to jerry-rig a live signal that the rest of the world could see.

He also appeared frequently on news networks such as CNN, sometimes dressed in a hooded sweatshirt.

In one example, he described how the army had shot into crowds, then rolled over protesters in their armored vehicles after running out of ammunition. He stressed, in all instances, that the opposition refused to give up.

Within days, Nabbous transformed into a de facto rebel leader, telling CNN that two days after his live stream appeared, he had 125 missed calls, mostly from people calling to make sure he was safe.

The newlywed said that he believed the government knew who he was and would come after him, saying, "Libyan lives to Gadhafi are very cheap."

But he insisted he was ready to make that sacrifice.

"I am not afraid to die, I am afraid to lose the battle," Nabbous said.

Over the next few weeks, rebel fighters managed to push Gadhafi forces farther out of Benghazi and establish the city as its de facto capital. Still, danger was never far away.

On March 19, he'd gone to videotape rocket attacks in a neighborhood where he'd heard several children had been killed, according to his wife and supporters.

He was fatally shot 11 weeks before Mayar, his first and only child, was born.